Your right to an itemized price list
A federal rule, the FTC Funeral Rule, gives you the right to see funeral prices before you decide, and to get an itemized statement of what you chose. In Utah, following it is also part of a funeral home's licensing rules.
You can get prices by phone without giving your name, a General Price List to keep when you ask in person, casket and container price lists before you see the products, and an itemized written statement of what you chose. You can buy only the items you want, with limited exceptions.
Your rights to price information
| You can ask for | When | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Prices by phone | Any time you call and ask | Accurate prices from the GPL and the casket and container lists. You don’t have to give your name, address or phone number. |
| General Price List | When you ask in person about arrangements, services or prices | A printed list of every item and service, to keep |
| Casket price list | Before you see the caskets | Prices for the caskets the funeral home offers |
| Outer burial container price list | Before you see the containers | Prices for vaults and grave liners |
| Itemized statement | At the end of the arrangement discussion | Each item you chose, its price, cash advance items, and the total |
The General Price List
When you start discussing arrangements, services or prices in person, the funeral home must physically offer you a General Price List that you can take home. A verbal offer isn’t enough. The list lets you choose individual items instead of a package. The only fee every arrangement includes is the basic services fee, apart from items required by law or by a cemetery or crematory. For how to read one, see how to read a General Price List.
Prices by phone
If you call and ask about prices, the funeral home must give you accurate information from its price lists. It can’t require your name, address or phone number first.
Casket and outer burial container prices
The funeral home must show you its casket price list when you start discussing caskets and before it shows you any. The same goes for outer burial containers. The container list must say that state or local law usually doesn’t require one, but many cemeteries do. Seeing the list first lets you ask about lower-priced options that may not be on display.
The written statement before you pay
At the end of the arrangement discussion, the funeral home must give you a written statement that lists:
- Each good and service you selected, with its price
- Each cash advance item, with its price
- The total cost
- An explanation in writing of anything required by law or by a cemetery or crematory
Read it before you sign or pay. If an item you didn’t choose is on it, ask why.
In Utah
Utah’s Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) licenses funeral service directors and funeral service establishments. Its rules list “failing to comply with the disclosure requirements of the Federal Trade Commission” as unprofessional conduct for licensees.
If a provider won’t give you the information
- Ask again, clearly.“Can I have a copy of your General Price List?” Sometimes a question simply wasn’t understood.
- Write down what happened.The date, who you spoke with, and what you asked for.
- Contact another provider if you need to.You don’t have to stay with a funeral home you haven’t signed with.
- Report it, if you choose.To the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, or to Utah DOPL through its complaint page. DOPL reviews possible violations of licensing law. It doesn’t act as your attorney or recover money for you.
“Can you provide the current itemized price information for the services and merchandise we are considering?”
Ready to see how these choices apply to your situation?
Your Wayfinder Plan can help organize the options you’re considering and give you a clearer picture of what to ask and compare.
Build My Wayfinder Plan- Phone prices, GPL timing and “to keep”, casket and container price lists, itemized statement, selection rights and exceptions: FTC, Complying with the Funeral Rule (updated July 22, 2025); FTC Funeral Rule (consumer guidance).
- Utah licensing rule: Utah Admin. Code R156-9-502(4). Complaints: Utah DOPL, File a Complaint.
- Reporting to the FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
This page summarizes consumer rights and is general information, not legal advice.